Page 112 - Gulf Precis (VI)_Neat

90 Part I
'When Jusuf Pasha was oxilcd in 1810, tho Ismailians were allowed to return to thoir
ruinod villages. Tlio date of the origin of tho sect which was originally established in
Khorasnn and on tho Indus, cannot be fixed with any certainty, but in any caso was not
anterior to tho year of tho Ilogiia 148, a.d. 705, the year of the death o£ Imam Jafar-ca-
Sadyk, futhcr of Ismail, from whom tho soot took its name. On Jafar’s death some Shiaa
refused to admit tho legitimate succession as Imam of his second son, Musa-al-Kazim (re­
strainin'of anger), and attributed spiritual headship to his elder brother Ismail, who, after
having been designated Imam by his father, had been deposed from that office on account of
his parent’s having soon him drunk on ono occasion.
This intoxication is considered by tho Ismailians as a proof that he accepted tho biddon
moaning of tho Koran as the expounder of Islam, oven while violating its teaching I Ismail
hnving died in his father's lifetime, his Bon Mahomot was recognised as his successor. There­
by tho Ismailians cut thcmsolvca off from communion with tho two main bodies of Imamia,
viz., those of Persia and India, who believo in the legitimate succession to tho Imamato, or
spiritual headship of Islam of tho Prophet's son-in-law Ali, aud tho hereditary transmission of
tho same to Ha^san, Hussein, Ali Lcyn-ul-Abedyn, Mahomet Bnkyr, Jafar Sadyk, Musa-al-
Knzym, Ilcza, Mahomet Tnky, Ali Naky, Hassan-al-Askary, and Mahomet Ab-ul-Kasem-al-
Mahdy, and those of Arabia and Yemen, known ns Zeidia from their belief iu the legitimate
succession ns Fifth Imam of Zoyd, 60n of Ali Zcyu-ul-Abcdyn.
In addition to the bolief in the direct transmission of spiritual leadership through Maho­
met, son of Ismail, Known among tho sect as Al-Knym-cz-Zeman (Ruler of the Age), and the
seven Imams, known as the Hidden in consequence of Iho persecution of the Abbaside Caliphs,
their principal dogma, as formerly enunciated by the fourth of these Hidden Imams, Abdallah-
bon-Mnyinun-al-Kaddah (tho Oculist), first in Irak, then at Bussarah, and, finally, at Sclamia
in 861- or 8G5, is tho belief that the Doity is a Being without attributes or association and
inaccessible to thought or beyond the bounds of imagination, that universal reason, which
was ono with Him, is (Iis manifestation to the world in order ibat mankind may comprehoud
and worship Him. The universal soul is in its turn a ereation of reason.
Primary force or matter has been created by tho soul, and in its turn has produced space
and time. The tendency of the universal soul is to elevation and reproduction of universal
reason ; when this shall have been attained every movement will cease, and tho reunion of
universal reason with the Deity will take'place. That if the salvation of the human soul
may be ensured it must acquire tho knowledge transmitted to it by a Prophet, the incarnation
of reason for the elevation of the universal soul.
On account of the shortness of human life reason has been sucoessivoly incarnated in
Adam, Noah, Abrahom, Moses, Josus Christ, the Messiah, Mahomet, and Mahomet, the son of
Ismail, the 6evon Embya-i-Nathekyn speaking Prophets.
The soul has in its turn been successively incarnated in the bases, or Silent Vicars,
Esnsyn or Sametyn, so called because they taught nothing new, vtz., Seth. Shorn, Ismail
(Ishmael), Aaron, Joshua, Simon Peter, Cephas, and Ali. Immediately after theso come tho
seven Imams, who after the mysterious disappearance of Mahomet-ben-Ismail, who is im­
mortal and impalpable, arc but his mortal and vi-ible representatives. Every duty initiated
member of the sect is supposed to be onrollcd in Maboined-bin-Ismail's service, to be ready
to follow him when he shall eventually re-appear.
Tho initiated were at first divided into seven and afterwards into nine classes or--grades.
The first or lowest class comprises those proselytes who, being of -imple character, or incapable
of much thought, are taught by their “ Day " (man of prayer, Prior) that religion is a secret
science, and that only a few beings such as the Imams, who arc privileged, can penetrale its
mysteries. To impress hie imagination; the Day will ask him to explain why Cod created
the world iu seveu days, why there are seven verses in tho Fatcha, why man has ten fingers
and ten toes, etc., and will teach him that passages of tho Koran cited are so mysterious, that
they can only be interpreted allegorically, and that before bis iuitiation ho must bind himself
by oatli to the Ismailians. Tho greatest discretion in initiation, especially if tho initiated be a
learned or superior person, is to bo observed, etc.
In the sfcond degree the companion or ncaophyle is taught by arguments drawn from
tho text of the Koran, or founded on reason that the Imams are tho only representatives of
divine authority on earth.
In the third grade the candidate is instructed in the dogma which distinguishes Ismailitos
from otbor Shiahs, viz., the belief in the apostolic succession of the seven hereditary Imams,
etc.
With the fourth degroe of initiation the belief in the prophetio speakers and thoir seven
.
Silent Vicar*, and ihe teaching that the Kaym Ez Zcman is the neplus ultra of old doctrine,
Alpha and Omega, koy of science and must*ry, is inculcatod. This belief is fundamcn a y
incompatible with a belief in the finality of the prophetic mission of Mahomet, the kna m,
embya, or seal of the prophets, and consequently the initiates of this and higher grades ceas
to be Moslems.